Jerry Higgins on the Vikings

Anthony DiNunzio: “He really does it all. He’s also another leader along with me. He really does it all. He shoots it well, he plays extremely tough, he’s a vocal leader.”

Oliver Carson: “When you look at him you think ‘he’s not a player’ but in our scrimmage the other day he played five minutes, had 14 points, 4-for-5 from 3, it was crazy. He can play. He also works extremely hard, he’s been with the program forever.”

Isaiah Gary: “He’s a real strong player in the post. His leaping ability is crazy for someone his size.”

Delanoe Harris: “He played freshman year. I’ve been begging him to play, his sophomore and junior year he just wouldn’t. We finally got him able to come back, but he’s going to be huge on the boards and he runs the floor well. It took him awhile, the first day was rough of him back playing basketball, but now he’s looking really good and we’re going to use him a lot.”

Stefan Weems: “He’s also an electric player. He gets in gaps and makes plays.

Jordan Calhoun: “His vision is amazing. He’s just a playmaker, I love the way he plays and I love playing with him.”

Graham Koppelman: “He’s our sharpshooter. He can really light it up from anywhere. I love playing with him. I just tell him to run the floor and we’ll get him the ball, really. He also has a post game which is not expected, really. He’ll also play the two through the four.”

Latrace Jackson: “He erases pretty much everything. Once we get him in the right mindset and we get him going, he can be really good. I think he’s going to help us a lot this year too.”

Khalil Mitcham: “He’s made such an improvement from last year. His post moves are looking so much better. He just plays hard and now he’s starting to take charges and stuff like that. He’s doing a lot of the little things right.”

Jason Priah: “He can shoot it. We’re going to use him two through four, he can bang down low and get rebounds and he’s just going to kind of be our Danny (McGarry) of last year, with a little better shot.”

Enavell Lighty: “He just really can do it all. He can bring people out and shoot it, he can bang down with the bigs.”

Jaden Hameed: “He’s so loose on offense you wouldn’t even notice he’s a freshman. I think we’re going to utilize that a lot.”

Jonah Waag: “He plays so well defensively and once he gets comfortable, I think he’ll be great too.”

Babe Kwasniak on Higgins: “My fondest part is just seeing he took ‘this’ from Brian Parker, he took Brian Parker’s toughness. He took Simon Texidor’s and Sherman Dean’s jumper, he took the leadership of Mo Johnson and Dererk Pardon. I think he took Carlton’s swag. I see him now, he’s just a culmination of all these guys he’s played with.”

Villa Angela-St. Joseph has made five consecutive trips to a state final. The Vikings won three titles along the way.

For how the Vikings return to Columbus for a sixth straight year, coach Babe Kwasniak doesn’t have an answer yet.

Six more players transferred during the offseason. 6-foot-8 forward Alonzo Gaffney, the state’s best player in the Class of 2019, departed for Garfield Heights. Reggie Priah, a junior forward expected to join the starting lineup, transferred to Euclid.

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Moreover, competitive balance realignment moved VASJ into Division II. The Vikings now compete in the same region as defending D-II champion Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and share a district with an improving Lake Catholic program.

As VASJ enters the season after it won its seventh state title, the Vikings focus on what they have instead of what’s missing.

To start, VASJ still has its best player in guard Jerry Higgins who Kwasniak says is “everything that’s right about high school basketball.”

Higgins is 16 wins away from becoming the all-time winningest player in program history — ahead of all-time program greats Clark Kellogg, Treg Lee, David Lighty, Brian Parker, Carlton Bragg and Dererk Pardon.

A glut of juniors will be relied on for production: Jason Priah, Jordan Calhoun, Latrace Jackson, Khalil Mitcham and Graham Koppelman. Priah, Calhoun, Mitcham and Koppelman will likely round out VASJ’s starting five alongside Higgins in the Vikings’ opener against Euclid Dec. 1.

Then there are a trio of freshmen who could have the heaviest say in VASJ’s fortune. Enavell Lighty, Jaden Hameed and Jonah Waag will be counted on early by the Vikings. Lighty, the nephew of Ohio State’s David, is said around the program to be at a higher level than Bragg or Gaffney than when they were freshmen. Hameed possesses offensive skill apt for an upperclassman and the same applies to Waag’s defensive instinct.

From seniors to freshmen, Higgins is the nexus.

“I want to be the teammate who pushes you on the court but can have fun with you off the court,” Higgins said. “I don’t want to be the dad of the team, but I just want to be the guy they all can relate to. I think that’ll bring us all together.”

Higgins says last year’s team was better in the halfcourt, and could run 50 plays. This year, the Vikings must rely on their defense to create transition opportunities.

An up and down style plays to the Vikings’ strengths.

Higgins, Hameed and Calhoun are lightning-quick guards. Lighty, Jackson, Priah and Koppelman match their length with the speed to beat their opponents down the floor.

“This year we’re going to have to run and get stops and get deflections because we’re a little faster,” Higgins said. “So our mindset’s a little different, but we still have the same goals in mind for the end of the season and for during the season.”

VASJ will be tested out of the gate against Euclid followed by a road trip to Cleveland Heights on Dec. 7 then a home matchup with St. Vincent-St. Mary the next day. There’s little respite in a schedule headlined by matchups with Warren JFK, Mentor, Cornerstone Christian, Cleveland Central Catholic, Gilmour, Lake Catholic and St. Edward.

Kwasniak wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings are under .500 headed into the state tournament.

“We’re made for March around here so I fully expect us to be a whole heck of a lot better,” Kwasniak said. “Are we going to be good enough to win it, to get to Columbus? I don’t know the answer to that. Right now, no way. No chance.”

Kwasniak, Higgins and the Vikings look forward to the challenge.

The upcoming season is reminiscent of two years ago. VASJ lost Bragg, Pardon, Parker and almost all of its production from the 2015 state championship team. Behind Higgins, then a sophomore, the Vikings made their way back to Columbus.

“It feels like every year I’ve played, it’s always been something,” Higgins said. “It is what it is, I have faith in my guys so that’s all that really matters.”

Higgins on his teammates:

Anthony DiNunzio: “He really does it all. He’s also another leader along with me. He really does it all. He shoots it well, he plays extremely tough, he’s a vocal leader.”

Oliver Carson: “When you look at him you think ‘he’s not a player’ but in our scrimmage the other day he played five minutes, had 14 points, 4-for-5 from 3, it was crazy. He can play. He also works extremely hard, he’s been with the program forever.”

Isaiah Gary: “He’s a real strong player in the post. His leaping ability is crazy for someone his size.”

Delanoe Harris: “He played freshman year. I’ve been begging him to play, his sophomore and junior year he just wouldn’t. We finally got him able to come back, but he’s going to be huge on the boards and he runs the floor well. It took him awhile, the first day was rough of him back playing basketball, but now he’s looking really good and we’re going to use him a lot.”

Stefan Weems: “He’s also an electric player. He gets in gaps and makes plays.

Jordan Calhoun: “His vision is amazing. He’s just a playmaker, I love the way he plays and I love playing with him.”

Graham Koppelman: “He’s our sharpshooter. He can really light it up from anywhere. I love playing with him. I just tell him to run the floor and we’ll get him the ball, really. He also has a post game which is not expected, really. He’ll also play the two through the four.”

Latrace Jackson: “He erases pretty much everything. Once we get him in the right mindset and we get him going, he can be really good. I think he’s going to help us a lot this year too.”

Khalil Mitcham: “He’s made such an improvement from last year. His post moves are looking so much better. He just plays hard and now he’s starting to take charges and stuff like that. He’s doing a lot of the little things right.”

Jason Priah: “He can shoot it. We’re going to use him two through four, he can bang down low and get rebounds and he’s just going to kind of be our Danny (McGarry) of last year, with a little better shot.”

Enavell Lighty: “He just really can do it all. He can bring people out and shoot it, he can bang down with the bigs.”

Jaden Hameed: “He’s so loose on offense you wouldn’t even notice he’s a freshman. I think we’re going to utilize that a lot.”

Jonah Waag: “He plays so well defensively and once he gets comfortable, I think he’ll be great too.”

Babe Kwasniak on Higgins: “My fondest part is just seeing he took ‘this’ from Brian Parker, he took Brian Parker’s toughness. He took Simon Texidor’s and Sherman Dean’s jumper, he took the leadership of Mo Johnson and Dererk Pardon. I think he took Carlton’s swag. I see him now, he’s just a culmination of all these guys he’s played with.”